KULLU (Himachal Pradesh):The decision of MDLR Airline authorities to suspend their operations in Himachal Pradesh without any notice has left many passengers stranded.
The airline announced Wednesday that its scheduled operations would be suspended till Nov 14.
"The decision of the airline to suspend its operation without any notice is not justified. A large number of tourists, especially from abroad, are finding themselves grounded," president of the Travel Agents Association of Kullu, Subhash Sharma, told IANS.
"Most of the passengers have been facing harrowing experience when they came to know at the last moment that their scheduled flight has been cancelled. If the airline wants to suspend its operations, it has to make alternative arrangements," he said.
According to Sharma, over 120 foreigners have booked various to and fro flights with MDLR Airlines for this month between Delhi and Kullu.
"The airline has not been operating its daily flight since Oct 5. Every day it was announcing the cancellation of flight the next day. It suddenly announced Wednesday that its flights have been suspended till further notice, which leaves the passengers at sea," he said.
Dinesh Kumar Thakur, a passenger from Kullu, said the airline had informed him about the cancellation of the flight just one day before his scheduled date of departure.
"It's not justified that at the last moment you have been informed simply through SMS that your flight has been cancelled. The airline is supposed to make alternate arrangements," he said.
Kamal Katoch, station manager of MDLR Airlines at Kullu, said: "All the passengers have been informed through SMS well in advance about the cancellation of their flights. Even the travel agents have been informed in this regard so that the passengers do not face any problem."